Tesla Cuts the Ribbon on its 100th Supercharger Station

When Tesla announced that it wanted to build a super charging network that would blanket the nation, it seemed like a lofty dream. But when Tesla cut the ribbon on its 100th Supercharger station in Hamilton, New Jersey this week, the dream seemed to be much closer to reality. The event marks a milestone for the little electric car company that could – and a crowd of over 100 people, including state legislators, turned up for the event.

The Tesla Supercharger stations are built near amenities like restaurants and shopping centers and allow Tesla owners to half-charge their car in 20 minutes – for free. Theoretically, a Tesla owner could stick to Supercharger stations and never pay for electricity again. Right now a Tesla car owner can travel across the country or all along the coasts without ever having to be too far from a Supercharger. Ultimately the company wants to build enough stations so that a driver never has to be more than 100 miles away from a quick charge.

Right now there are 86 stations available in the US and 14 in Europe and by the end of next year the company plans to have 98% of the US population covered by a nearby Supercharger. According to the company, Supercharger stations have saved 570,921 gallons of oil and over 2.3 million dollars in fuel costs. That’s enough electricity to power a Tesla vehicle around the globe 573 times.